Solar System

March 22, 2010

For the UK College of Engineering Space Systems Laboratory, "SOCEM," which is now slated to fly this weekend, is just the beginning of a busy year. And in the article, "Space Science Mentor," the American Society for Engineering Education writes that Morehead State University's Dr. Ben Malphrus "lets students take on big tasks" as part of the university's space sciences program.

The picture above depicts the flight path of ADAMASat, one of two payloads on SOCEM. Ground stations in Kentucky will pick up data from the suborbital craft during its brief stay in space.

March 08, 2010

Recently released by the Jet Propulsion Lab, this video is the result of work by an amateur researcher working with surface data produced by the Cassini mission. Such terrain bears strong similarities to the Karst topography of Utah, and might even suggest caves below the surface.

For Kentucky Space readers interested in the concept of "citizen science," astronomer Dr. Pamela Gay will be at the Kentucky Center on Friday, April 2 for a brief lecture sponsored by the IdeaFestival that will touch on this new phenomenon. Astronomy and planetary sciences are areas where amateurs can, and do, make significant scientific contributions. Follow @ideafestival on Twitter for more.

March 04, 2010

Here's an elegantly simple research idea from Google Lunar X PRIZE team Selene that might fly aboard a Cubesat. Study a single cell organism in microgravity with a telescope and stream the video back to Earth.

The picture above of a "PocketQub" was snapped on a recent trip to Morehead State University to talk with Profs. Bob Twiggs and Ben Malphrus. The personal satellite can be flown with whatever science or technology that can be put inside on missions measured in weeks or months at very low orbital altitudes, and vaporize on reentry into the Earth's atmosphere. This example is sitting on a magazine-sized brochure.

February 19, 2010

The Google Lunar X PRIZE has announced a renewed emphasis on education, and points out the connection between new Moon race and lagging science literacy in the United States. Introducing herself, the new Education Manager for the prize, Chandra Gonzales, lays out the challenge:

One of the greatest challenges that I have seen in our education systems is the need to meet our world’s significant workforce shortages in the critical sciences, technology, engineering and math fields. Did you know that in the US alone, the Department of Education reported that only 18% of high school seniors are considered proficient in science and 5% of undergraduates earn degrees in science and engineering? I feel that it is imperative that educators work with industry to tackle this issue.

With a program built around teaching and flying the space sciences, Kentucky Space certainly understands the challenge as well. It's nice to see the Google Lunar X PRIZE connect "education to inspiration."

February 15, 2010

Audio of Kris Kimel's appearance on The Space Show Friday is has been posted. In his second appearance on The Space Show, Kris covered the breadth of Kentucky Space activities and answered a number of questions from callers across the country. Listen here.

February 02, 2010

The Principal Investigator for the project, Dean Ahorn, has let Kentucky Space know that Nanosail-D has been resurrected and is being readied to fly on the FASTSAT-HSV1 satellite later this year. Similar in concept to the Planetary Society's Lightsail project, the 3U (unit) Cubesat packs an unbelievable amout of fabric into its diminutive body.

Use the radiation pressure of light from the stars or a laser to propel themselves forward, solar sails can in theory reach very high speeds over time.

The two spacecraft are among the very first to test the material and sails that could form the basis for a technology first envisioned by writers in the 1960s, as well as push the technology boundaries of what's possible using the Cubesat platform.

January 07, 2010

The presentation by NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden, who talked about the future of the agency's manned and robotics programs at the American Astronomical Society on Tuesday, has been posted. For written summaries see the blogs of Jeff Foust and Pamela Gay.